The Doctor Monkees Around
by cheri1
Summary: 10Rose The Monkees Crossover: This is the TV version of the Monkees, not the real people. The Doctor and Rose travel to 1967 and meet a struggling band. They go to the fifty first century to a music festival and find more to deal with than just bands.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"So, where we headed to next?"

The Doctor looked over at Rose who was sitting behind him on the captain's chair. She shrugged.

"Anywhere's fine with me." She said.

The Doctor frowned.

"Well, that's not very helpful." He said.

"Sorry, I can't think of anything specific. You just pick something and I'll go along with it."

The Doctor gave her an evil grin.

"Although, having said that, I should know better than to let you pick…" she said.

The Doctor leaned against his console as he pondered where they should go. His eyes widened.

"Oh! I have just the thing." He said going back to his computer monitor.

He imputed a destination into the computer and smiled at Rose as he leaned back against the console.

"Okay, where are we going?" Rose asked.

"Weeeeell, I figured since we've been to the fifties, we oughta try the sixties next." He said.

He grinned at her.

"Fancy seeing a Doors concert in LA?" he said.

"Well, that depends. Are we actually going to see the concert? Because we tried to see Elvis in New York and you know what happened with that."

"Nah, I'll get it right. That was just a fluke." The Doctor said. "So, how about it? Want to see Jim Morrison live?"

"Sure." Rose said not really caring where they went as long as the Doctor was with her.

"Well, then, Rose Tyler, put your love beads on and put flowers in your hair. We're about to break on through to 1967!" the Doctor said. "Peace, hippies, Haight Ashbury and rock and roll, oh yes!"

Rose giggled.

"Far out, man!" she said making the peace sign. "Groovy."

She giggled as the Doctor grinned at her and fiddled with the controls.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Meanwhile in Malibu Beach, California…)

Micky Dolenz yawned and stretched as he emerged from his second floor bedroom. It was just past dawn and the other guys were still asleep, but he loved to get up early to take a morning walk along the beach. He put his butt on the stair railing and slid all the way down.

He paused at the bottom when he noticed the TV was on. He walked to it and turned it off.

"Hey, I was watching that!"

He gasped and spun around. Peter was sitting behind him in a plush high-backed chair.

"Pete? What are you doing up this early?" he asked turning the TV back on.

"Couldn't sleep last night, I came down to watch TV." He said.

Micky looked down at his bright orange nightgown with the little, blue bunny on the front of it.

"Well, it's after sunrise, you might as well get dressed now." He said.

"I will in a minute. This is really interesting." Peter replied pointing to the TV.

Micky turned and saw a nerdy looking man sitting at a desk.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It's called 'Is there?'" Peter replied.

"Scientists believe that we are not alone in the universe." The man was saying. "For the past twenty years, there have been numerous UFO sightings reported all across the country. The most of famous of course was in 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico, when evidence of a crashed alien spaceship was found near a ranch. The government denied that it was a UFO, calling it a weather balloon, but since then sightings have increased and with these sightings comes reports of men dressed in black. Men who try to cover up the evidence of extraterrestrials and silence the ones who have seen them. But despite these strange men and their intimidation tactics, brave souls continue to come forward with their incredible stories. Are they telling the truth or are they delusional? We ask, is there…life in outer space?"

Micky snorted.

"Pete, you watch the craziest things." He said, walking past the TV set. "There are no such things as aliens."

"There are too aliens." Peter retorted.

"Pete, don't believe everything you see on TV, alright?" Mickey said opening the front door. "I'm going for a walk on the beach; I'll be back in about a half hour."

He walked outside and shut the door behind him.

Peter rolled his eyes and snuggled down into the chair.

"So, beware, because the alien menace is out there. Aliens could be anywhere just waiting to conquer the Earth and enslave you and your loved ones. They could be anywhere or anyone. So, keep your eyes open because the next person you meet could be an alien in disguise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Sung to the tune of The Monkees Theme)

DA-DUM

Here he comes, flying through the vortex,

no telling where he and Rose will go to next.

Hey, Hey, he's the Doctor,

And people say he's an insane clown.

He is rude and not ginger

And he puts everybody down.

He's just trying to be friendly

As he tries to save the day.

He's the last of the Time Lords

And he flaps his gums all day.

Hey, hey, he's the Doctor

You never know where he'll be found

So you better get ready.

He may be coming to your toooooown!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Micky strolled along the beach. The chilly morning air combined with the sound of the ocean waves soothed him and allowed him to get focused for the day ahead. He picked a seashell up from the sand and chucked it into the waves. He got closer to the edge of the beach and let the waves run over his feet smiling at the feel of the cool water on his skin. It had been a couple of years since he and his band mates had rented the old beach house. Since then, they had struggled to find enough gigs to pay the rent and put food on the table. But Micky never regretted the decision to come here. It was wonderful to live somewhere where you could go out on the beach whenever you wanted to. It was rough being a struggling band and making ends meet, but somehow they always managed to scrape by.

As he continued to stare out at the sunrise, he frowned when he suddenly heard a strange roaring sound. He could barely hear it over the pounding of the surf, but he was sure he could hear it. However, the sound stopped after a couple of seconds and Micky shrugged figuring it was probably just the roaring of the waves.

He paused a moment more enjoying the sound of the surf and the rythmic motion of the waves; then he turned to go. He paused when he noticed an odd blue phone booth a few feet away from him. Micky shook his head and blinked. He coulda sworn the beach was empty a few minutes ago. He walked over to it and knocked on the wood.

"Okay, either I'm freaking out or someone is playing an elaborate prank." He muttered.

He frowned when he heard the door on the other side open. He peeked around the side and saw a man and a woman emerge from the phone booth. The woman looked around and looked at the man.

"So, this is LA, yeah?" she asked.

The man rubbed his earlobe.

"Um, not sure." He said.

The woman sighed.

"You got it wrong again!"

"I did not! This is LA, I'm sure of it!" the man said indignantly.

The woman sighed and turned around. She caught Micky just as he ducked back around the corner.

"Oi, what are you doing back there?" she yelled at him as the Doctor turned around.

Micky came around the corner.

"I was taking a walk on the beach until I ran into this phone booth." He said. "What are you doing here? Is this some kind of prank or something?"

The Doctor stared at him for a moment.

"No, this is a new beach phone booth. They just installed it so people can make calls if they need to."

Micky looked down at the waves lapping the edge of the phone booth.

"Uh-huh, and they figure as soon as people get out of the water, they'll need to make a call right then and there?" he said.

Rose snickered as the Doctor cleared his throat.

"I'm not sure about that, I just know that this phone booth was here and I was attempting to use it." He said as nonchalantly as he could.

"Huh, I could have sworn that the beach was clear a moment ago."

He shrugged.

"Eh, I've seen weirder things in my life. Anyway, I thought I heard you say something about LA?" he asked.

"Yes," the Doctor said relieved to get onto another subject. "My friend and I are looking for the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. We want to see The Doors. So which way do you go to get to downtown LA?"

Micky stared at him.

"Are you serious?" he said.

"Yes, very serious. Where is downtown LA?"

"Man, you aren't even in LA." Micky replied.

Rose groaned and put her head in her hands as the Doctor coughed nervously.

"Oh…well, um, where are we?" he asked.

Micky stared at him.

"What do you mean where are you?"

"I mean, where is here?" he said, indicating the beach.

"You don't know where you are?"

"Yes, I don't know where I am. Now, where are we at?"

"Man that must have been one freaky acid trip you were on."

Rose laughed as the Doctor shot him an indignant look.

"I wasn't taking acid." He said.

"Okay, you were drunk then." Micky replied.

"No, I wasn't drunk. I'm just lost. Rose and I are travelers and we are on our way to LA."

"And you don't have a map or anything with you to tell you where you at?"

"Just…please tell us where we're at." The Doctor said impatiently.

Micky sighed.

"Okay, you're in Malibu Beach, California. LA is east of us." He said.

The Doctor looked at Rose.

"See, at least I'm in the same state this time."

"Hurray for small miracles."

The Doctor eyed her for a moment and then looked back at Micky.

"Thanks." He said to him.

"No problem, just go easy on the pot next time, okay?"

"I am not a drug addict!" the Doctor yelled as Rose bent over laughing.

Micky shrugged.

"Whatever man, if you are, that's your bag. I'm not gonna judge ya." He said. "We get all kinds living here."

"Well, I can assure you I'm not…"

"Micky…Micky Dolenz." He said extending his hand.

"I'm the Doctor." He said shaking his hand.

"Doctor who?"

"It's just the Doctor." Rose said. "And I'm Rose."

Micky smiled at her.

"Pretty name for a pretty lady." he said kissing her hand.

Rose blushed as the Doctor eyed him.

"Anyway," Micky continued. "Just head east and you'll reach LA. You can't miss it."

"Thank you, Micky." He said. "Come on, Rose, LA awaits."

"MICK!"

They looked over as Micky turned and looked further up the beach. They saw a tall skinny man wearing a green woolen hat yelling at him from a deck at the back of one of the houses.

"Yeah?" Micky yelled back.

"You done with your walk? We need to practice for that gig tonight!" the man yelled back.

"Yeah, just a moment, I'm helping a couple of stoners get to LA!"

"WE ARE NOT…"

The Doctor sighed.

"Never mind, not worth yelling about." He muttered.

"Well, get in here, we're warming up!" the man yelled.

"Okay, I'm coming!"

Micky looked at the Doctor and Rose.

"Sorry, gotta go, good luck with getting to LA." He said.

"Wait, you're in a band?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, well I mean we're not successful yet, but, we're hoping to make it big soon." Mickey replied.

"Really? What's the name of your band if I may ask?"

"The Monkees."

The Doctor frowned.

"Never heard of you."

"Yeah, well, join the club." Micky muttered.

"Um, I was just wondering if you're practicing, if it would be alright if Rose and I might listen?" The Doctor said.

Micky beamed.

"Really? You wanna hear us play?" He said excitedly.

"Well, yeah, I love listening to all kinds of music and live music is the best." The Doctor said.

He glanced at Rose.

"What about you, Rose? Fancy sitting in on their practice session?"

"Sure, why not?" Rose replied.

Micky smiled.

"Then follow us and I'll escort you to our pad." He said.

"Lead the way." The Doctor replied.

"Hey, Mike," Micky yelled at the man on the deck. "Clean off a couple of the chairs; we have a couple of guests coming to listen to us!"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Micky opened the door.

"Welcome to our pad." He said to the Doctor and Rose.

They stepped inside and stared around at the interior of the beach house. None of the furniture matched and there were several strange pictures and objects scattered around the room.

"Wow, quite an eclectic style you have here." The Doctor commented.

"Yeah, well, we really don't have the money to make the place look fancy, but we like it." Micky replied.

He pointed over to the man with the wool hat who was leaning up against the wall watching them.

"This is Mike." He said.

"Howdy." Mike said in a slow Texan drawl.

He pointed over to the kitchen where a tall, blonde man and a short, dark haired man stood looking at them.

"That's Peter." He said pointing to the blonde man. "And that's Davy."

"Hi." Peter said shyly.

"Hello." Davy said.

"This is the Doctor and Rose." Micky finished up.

"Hello." The Doctor said.

"Nice to meet all of you." Rose added, smiling and waving at all of them.

She paused when she looked at Davy. He was staring at her, entranced, and she could have sworn there were tiny stars twinkling in his eyes. Micky looked where she was looking, rolled his eyes and let out a huge sigh.

"Davy." He said walking over to him and waving his hands in front of his face. "Davy, wake up. I think this one's spoken for."

"You're lovely." Davy said in a dreamy voice as he stared at Rose.

"Davy, no." Peter said shaking Davy's shoulder.

Davy walked around them towards Rose. The Doctor narrowed his eyes when Davy grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Rose is such a beautiful name. It fits you perfectly." He said softly.

"Um…thanks."Rose said hesitantly.

She frowned. There really were tiny stars in his eyes. She'd never seen anything like it.

Peter and Micky noticed the look of death in the Doctor's eyes and walked over to him.

"Okay, Davy, that's enough of the Romeo bit. We have to practice now." Micky said. "Let's go before Rose's boyfriend decks you."

"Your hair is so beautiful. Golden like the sunshine."

Micky and Peter looked at each other. Mike sighed and walked over towards them.

"Out of the way, I'll handle this." He said to them.

He positioned himself behind Davy, paused a moment and then gave him a swift kick in the rear. Davy gasped and grabbed his aching behind.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he said angrily to Mike.

He yelled when Mike grabbed him by the ear.

"Come on, Davy, practice time." He said pulling him towards the stage.

"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming, Jesus, let go of my bloody ear before you tear it off!" Davy yelled as Micky and Peter walked behind him snickering.

He let go of his ear and picked up his guitar from its stand. Davy glared at him as he rubbed his aching ear.

"You didn't have to do that!" he protested.

"On the contrary, I was getting you out of there before the Doctor put his fist through your face." He said quietly. "I believe the two of them are together so if I were you, I'd lay off this one."

"I was just saying hello to her. What's the harm in that?"

"With you, it's never just hello." Micky said settling behind the drums.

Davy sighed angrily and picked up his tambourine as Peter fingered his bass.

"So, what are we playing?" Mike asked looking at the others.

"How about 'I'm A Believer'?" Micky said.

Mike nodded.

"Everyone ready? Okay, and a 1 and a 2 and a…"

They launched into the song as the Doctor and Rose sat down in a couple of chairs and listened quietly. Rose tapped her feet along to the song as the Doctor bobbed his head.

"They're really good." Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"Yes, they are." The Doctor replied.

They finished the song and the Doctor and Rose clapped enthusiastically. The Monkees bowed and smiled.

"That was fantastic." The Doctor said. "I loved it."

"Thanks." Micky said. "We're pretty proud of it."

"I can't believe you guys are out of work." Rose said. "You are good."

The Monkees smiled at each other.

"I wish others felt the same way." Micky replied. "We've been struggling for a couple of years just to make ends meet. We've do have a few fans, but so far no one's been enough of a fan to offer us a record deal."

"That's too bad." The Doctor said. "I've heard a lot of different music groups throughout my lifetime and I have to say that you guys are extremely talented."

The Monkees looked at each other.

"You've heard a lot of different bands?" Mike asked.

"Yes, I have."

The Monkees looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Are you an agent?" Micky said hopefully. "Do you know someone who might be able to sign us to a label?"

"No, I'm sorry." The Doctor said. "I didn't mean it like that. I just mean in my travels, I've listened to many bands and enjoyed their music. I'm not affiliated with any record label and I don't know any agents."

The Monkees' faces fell.

"Drat, shoulda known it was foolish to get my hopes up." Micky muttered.

Rose stared at him sadly.

"Well, wait, you guys are going to do a show tonight, aren't ya?" she asked. "Maybe there will be someone from the music industry there."

"I doubt it." Peter said.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked.

"Because it's some rich society woman. Her daughter is having a birthday party." Davy said bitterly. "We're playing for her and her friends for a night. It's not the kind of gig we enjoy doing, but it's a hundred bucks and that's a hundred bucks more than we have right now."

"That's all we ever get." Peter added. "If it isn't a birthday party, it's some store opening or a school dance. Little stuff like that. We never get invited to any industry bigwig's party and get signed to his label. We get invited to Max Steinberg's bar mitzvah or something like that."

"And if it keeps up, we'll soon be playing at a funeral near you." Micky added.

"Don't think like that." Rose said. "Things have to look up for ya, soon."

"I hope so." Micky said. "Because I don't think we can keep this up for much longer. It's getting harder and harder to pay the rent and if we don't hit it big soon, we may lose this house and have to break up."

"Yeah, our landlord is really breathing down our neck." Peter said.

Suddenly, the room shook as someone banged repeatedly on the front door.

"I'll get it,"Davy said putting down his tambourine and hopping off the stage.

He walked over to the front door. Opened the little door just above his head, he tried to look out it. He wasn't tall enough to see out, so he closed it and opened the door. The Monkees groaned when their landlord, Mister Babbitt, stood there with his arms folded over his chest.

"Mister Babbitt," Davy said.

"I want the rent," Babbitt said holding out his hand.

"We just paid the rent," Mike said angrily.

"Yeah, that was for two months ago. You still owe me this month and last month's rent and I want it now!"

"We'll have it tonight. We're playing a gig," Davy said.

"You better have it or out you go!" Babbitt said. "I'm not letting you stay here for free. I've tolerated you long-haired weirdoes longer than most people probably would have, but my patience is at an end. Either you pay me what you owe me or you can find someplace else to live!"

He noticed the Doctor and Rose for the first time.

"Who are they?" he said pointing to them.

"They're…friends," Micky said. "They came over to watch us practice."

"Well, as long as that's all they're gonna do. I'm not running a hippie commune here. If they stay with you, then you're gonna have to pay extra rent."

"I assure you, we are just visiting. Rose and I have a home of our own," The Doctor said angrily.

"Good, and if you had any sense, you would go home and stay far away from these idiots. They're nothing but troublemakers."

"Now wait just a moment!" Davy said angrily. "I resent that. We are not troublemakers! You know what I'm gonna do to you for saying that?"

"WHAT?" Babbitt said putting his hands on his hips and staring at him menacingly.

Davy stared at him. He noticed a button on his vest was unbuttoned.

"I'm gonna fix this for you," He said buttoning it up and pulling on the bottom of the vest.

Babbitt snorted softly.

"That's what I thought," he muttered.

He looked at the other Monkees.

"You have until tomorrow morning to get me the rent or else I…"

He paused and stared at Davy who was now using a tiny whisk brush to dust the crumbs and lint off his vest.

"What are you doing?" he asked him.

"Tidying you up?" Davy said looking at him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Davy threw the whisk brush up in the air and ran back towards the stage.

"Tomorrow morning! I mean it!" Babbitt said glaring at them.

The Monkees jumped as he slammed the door so hard the house shook.

"Hey, guys?"

Everyone looked at Micky.

"Yeah, Mick?" Mike asked.

Micky held up his drumstick.

"If I went up to Babbitt and jammed this up his rear end, could you guys buy me another one?" he asked.

"No, Mick."

"Darn," Micky said lowering the drumstick.

Rose stared at the dejected and worried faces of their new friends. She looked at the Doctor.

"Isn't there something we could do to help them out?" she said softly. "I'd hate for them to lose this house and have to split up."

"What did you have in mind?" the Doctor replied.

"Well, I mean, can't we use the TARDIS to find them a better place to play than this woman's birthday party? Somewhere where they could make some real money that would last them for awhile? Maybe even get them noticed?"

The Doctor considered that. A smile suddenly spread across his face.

"I think I can handle that," he said to her.

Rose smiled.

"Shall we commence with the whole showing them the TARDIS and explaining it's bigger on the inside routine?" he asked Rose.

"Yes, let's do it."

The Doctor looked at the Monkees who were conferring quietly amongst themselves. He cleared his throat loudly and they looked at him.

"I think I may be able to help you lot out," he said.

The Monkees looked at each other.

"How?" Mike asked.

The Doctor smiled.

"Just follow us. Rose and I want to show you something."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Monkees followed the Doctor and Rose out onto the beach. Mike, Peter and Davy stared at the phone box, confused, when they neared it.

"Okay, where did that come from?" Mike asked.

The Doctor looked at him.

"It's mine actually. It's the reason I brought you out here." He said.

"You own a phone booth?" Peter asked.

"Actually it's a police call box." The Doctor said.

"A what?" Micky said.

"Police call boxes," Davy explained. "They have them in England. Police officers use them to contact headquarters when they're out on patrols and need assistance."

"Okay," Mike said. "So what's one doing in Malibu Beach then?"

"And I though you said this was a new beach phone booth." Micky added.

"Well, I lied about that because usually I don't show people what's inside here, but in this case I'm making an exception."

"Show us what's inside?" Davy said. "There's nothing inside there. I've seen several of these before. It's just an empty blue box."

The Doctor and Rose grinned at each other.

"Well, actually, this is a specially built police box." He said.

He and Rose walked around to the door and the Monkees followed behind him. he pulled out his TARDIS key, unlocked the door and he and Rose stepped aside.

"Have a look." He said gesturing to the door.

The Monkees looked at each other. Micky walked up to the door, opened it a crack and stuck his head inside.

"Um…Davy?" Micky said.

"Yeah?"

"How big are these police boxes?"

Davy frowned.

"You can't tell from looking at the outside?" he said to him.

"Um, well no, because the interior is very roomy and bright and it has a metal floor and ramp and---"

"What?" Davy said as Mike and Peter looked at each other. "Step aside!"

The Doctor and Rose snickered as Micky stuck his head back out. Davy threw open the door all the way and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He wandered inside followed by the other Monkees.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" he said staring up at the ceiling.

Outside, the Doctor looked at Rose.

"Any moment now, they'll all come out and walk around it and go back in." he said to her.

Sure enough a few seconds later, the four of them ran outside, did a complete walk round and ran back in. the Doctor and Rose giggled.

"Now, they'll say, it's bigger on the inside." Rose said to him.

"Oh my God, it's bigger on the inside." They heard Micky say.

The Doctor grinned.

"Yup, it's become a tradition. The new companion routine." He said to her.

The four of them stepped outside and stared at them.

"How the hell are you doing this?" Mike asked.

"Ah, well, that takes a bit of explaining. Why don't you step inside and I'll fix you all a nice cup of tea and we can talk." The Doctor said.

The four of them nodded dumbly. They watched as the Doctor and Rose went in and then they followed along behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A half hour later, the four Monkees sat at the Doctor's kitchen table, completely dumbfounded, as he and Rose explained themselves and the TARDIS.

"So…you're an alien." Mike said when he finally finished.

The Doctor took a sip of tea.

"Yup." He said.

They looked at Rose.

"And you're human?" Micky said to her.

"Yup." She said.

"And the two of you travel through time and space in this TARDIS thing." Davy finished up.

"Yup." The two of them said together.

They looked at each other and looked over at Peter who had a huge grin on his face.

"Told you guys aliens existed." He said smugly.

Mike shook his head.

"Okay, you might have no trouble convincing Peter that you're a time traveling alien, but I still need some proof." He said.

"You want proof, fine, I can give you that. Where do you wanna go? I can go to any time, any place, any planet you want."

The Monkees glanced at each other and shrugged. They remained silent for a moment.

"London, forty years from now." Davy finally blurted out.

The Doctor nodded.

"Follow me." He said.

The Monkees looked at one another and quickly got up from their seats. They followed the Doctor and Rose into the console room.

"London, 2007 coming right up!" he said as he began to work the controls.

The Monkees leaned back against the railing as he darted around the console with a huge smile on his face. They looked up at the central column and watched, mesmerized, as the rotor went up and down. Apart from that, the Monkees didn't feel like they were moving. They glanced over at Rose who was sitting on the captain's chair staring at them with a huge grin on her face.

"Is this guy for real?" Micky whispered to her.

"Oh, he's for real, believe me." She whispered back.

After a few more minutes, the TARDIS jerked and the rotor shut off.

"We're here." The Doctor said looking at them.

The Monkees looked at each other and followed the Doctor and Rose as they walked to the front door. The Doctor opened it and stepped aside. The Monkees stepped outside and froze.

They were standing on a pavement in the middle of downtown London, but everything looked completely different. The cars were sleeker and more streamlined than the 60's versions they were used to. The styles of clothing and hair on the people were different. Even the advertisements that they could see were for bizarre things like mobile phones and IPods and Playstations. They looked at their surroundings in awe while the Doctor and Rose stood behind them and watched.

"Now do you believe me?" the Doctor finally asked.

They looked back at him and nodded dumbly. The Doctor grinned.

"Good, because Rose and I like all of you and we want to help you make some real money so you are able to pay your rent and have some left over."

"Really? You'd help us do that?" Micky said.

"Course. You four seem like nice guys and it's a shame that you are stuck playing for peanuts when you have geniune talent. So, I'm going to take you to a music festival I know of where you can play for a huge mass of people and get paid handsomely for it.

The Monkees looked at each other and smiled.

"Oh man, that's great. Thanks!" Mike said. "How can we ever repay you?"

The Doctor held up his hand.

"You don't have to, I do this for a living. Just the fact that you get to play something other than weddings and bar mitzvahs is payment enough."

He paused.

"There is one thing though." he said.

The Monkees groaned.

"Man, I knew there was a catch." Micky said.

The Doctor frowned.

"No, no catch; I just wondered how you would feel playing a gig in the fifty first century, is all."

The Monkees' mouths dropped open.

"Fifty first century?" Peter said.

"Yes, there's this huge music festival at that time where bands from all across the galaxy come to Earth to play. Hundreds of bands will be there. Lasts for days. I believe I'm clever enough to get you guys a spot in the lineup, how 'bout it? Interested?"

"And it pays?" Davy asked.

"Oh yes, I believe it pays extremely well. Especially considering the inflation rate is sky high compared to the '60's. You guys can bring your money back to 1967 and be millionaires."

The Monkees stared at him hardly daring to believe their ears.

"Millionaires?" Micky said.

The Doctor smiled and nodded.

"Course we'll have to get the credits exchanged for Earth dollars, but I know a nice little place that will exchange any kind of currency for any other. It's extremely handy. I just ask that once you get back, you keep Rose and me a secret between the four of you. Deal?"

"Deal!" the Monkees said in unison.

The Doctor opened the door.

"Then, let's get back in and get going. We'll stop back off at your house to get your instruments and then it's on to the fifty first century." He said gesturing inside.

The Monkees grinned from ear to ear and ran back into the TARDIS. The Doctor and Rose smiled at each other, followed them inside, and shut the door.

A moment later, the TARDIS started up and dematerialized into thin air leaving twenty first century London far behind.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Monkees watched, as the rotor stopped moving, and the TARDIS powered down. They looked at the Doctor, who was grinning at them.

"Welcome to the fifty first century, the year 5057, to be exact."

The Monkees stared at each other in disbelief before they moved towards the front door. The Doctor winked at Rose, and fell in behind them. They opened the door and looked out. They were sitting in the middle of a verdant field. Far off in the distance, they could see a Romanesque type structure that resembled the Parthenon. The ivory walls glistened in the sunlight. The six friends stepped outside. Looking off to their left, they saw a gigantic coliseum, which had many smaller ivory buildings spread out around it. They could see people standing around the structures chatting with each other.

"Where are we, Rome?" Mike asked.

"No, we're in New Atlantis," the Doctor replied.

"Atlantis? As in the lost continent of Atlantis?" Micky said.

"Well, yes, but it's not lost anymore. It resurfaced in the thirty fifth century. Archaeologists studied it and determined that the original inhabitants had built structures much like the ones found in ancient Greece and Rome. The people who migrated here chose to build their homes in much the same way, and after sixteen hundred years; they have gone back to living as the ancients did, hence the togas. The people here are extremely enlightened, even more so than the rest of the Earth, and the rest of the Earth is pretty enlightened at this moment in time. They have a love of many things here, particularly history, arts, and music. This is why the Atlanteans have decided to host the music festival. They are inviting the best and the brightest from all across the known universe to participate, which is why I brought you. I believe this is the place where your music can truly be appreciated. In two days time, the festival will start, and I want you to be on the bill."

He grinned.

"And…you'll be playing in there."

He pointed at the huge coliseum. The Monkees stared at it in disbelief, then let out a whoop and jumped around, hugging each other.

"Oh my God, this has to be a dream," Mickey said. "I can't believe we're standing on the lost continent of Atlantis, and we're gonna play inside a Roman coliseum for aliens. This is too good to be true."

"Okay, guys, listen up. We need to really practice these next two days," Mike said. "If there's gonna be people from all over the universe, we gotta really be on the ball if we're gonna impress these people. Especially if they're as enlightened as the Doctor claims."

"Aw, I wouldn't worry about that. I wouldn't have offered to take you here if you weren't at the top of your game," the Doctor said, waving his hand dismissively. "Trust me, they'll be more than impressed with you guys."

Peter walked up to him.

"This is so cool, Doctor. How can we ever thank you and Rose?"

The Doctor smiled.

"Just play your hearts out and knock their socks off. That'll be thanks enough," he replied.

He looked at them.

"Well, enough milling around, ooing and aahing. Let's go get you guys signed up and take a look around the town, shall we?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you know where to go to sign in?" Davy asked the Doctor, as they walked through the town.

"Not exactly, but I assume it'll be somewhere around the coliseum. If not, we can ask and find out," the Doctor said, shrugging.

Micky looked around at the Atlanteans. They gave them odd looks when they passed by, but no one said anything to them. Micky shook his head.

"Geez, with all these togas, I suddenly feel overdressed," he said, to Mike. "Maybe we should dress like they do while we're here."

"Heh, you can, shotgun. I'm not in the mood to go walking around wearing a bed sheet."

"Why not, I wear a tablecloth, you know," Micky teased.

"Well, that's cause you're odd one of the bunch."

Micky smirked at him.

"You take that back, you dirty rat!" he said, doing his Cagney impression.

"Good one, Mike, you got him to use his Cagney voice," Davy said. "Now, he'll be speaking like that all bloody day."

"Eeeeeh, you dirty rat, you murdered my brother, you dirty rat!"

"Micky…"

Micky looked at Mike.

"Yeah?"

"I'm warnin' ya, here and now. If you don't lay off the Cagney, I will take you back to the TARDIS, pry open your mouth, and shove the neck of my guitar down your throat. Then, maybe that'll shut ya up."

"Alright, geez, I'll stop then."

"Good, I'm glad you see reason," Mike replied.

Micky rolled his eyes.

"Geez, some people have no sense of humor," he muttered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So," Peter said, as he and Rose walked along behind the others. "How long have you been traveling with the Doctor?"

"About a year and a half now," she replied.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's the best. The Doctor is awesome. He's the best thing that ever happened to me," she said.

"I feel that way about the band. I was born in Connecticut and growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a musician, but no one supported me until I moved up to Greenwich Village after high school. Then, I found people who accepted me and my dreams of being a musician."

"My family was the same way. I love my mum to bits, but she never had much money, and we always had to struggle to get by. All she wanted for me was a good job, so I could move out of the council estates and have a nice life. But, you know, I always thought there was something more for me out there, and it wasn't until I met the Doctor, that I realized that I had been right all along. The Doctor has shown me things I never believed possible, and shown me that I am more than just a shop girl. I never would have been the person I am today without him."

Peter smiled.

"I'm glad he did that though. I haven't known you for very long, Rose, but I can tell you're a sweet, smart girl."

"Awww, thanks, peter. You're a sweet, smart guy," Rose replied.

"That's not what everyone else thinks."

Rose frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"No one thinks I'm smart," Peter said, bitterly. "I'm the dummy of the group. I'm always the dummy no matter what happens."

Rose's mouth dropped open.

"Who told you that?"

Peter gestured to the rest of the Monkees. Rose glared at them.

"Excuse me a moment, Peter," she muttered.

She ran in front of everyone and held up her hands. Everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Rose? What's going on?" the Doctor said.

Rose put her hands on her hips.

"How dare you call Peter a dummy! The man is anything, but!" she said, to the Monkees.

The Doctor stared at her.

"Who called Peter a dummy?"

Rose jabbed her finger at the Monkees.

"They do. Peter just told me they think of him as the dummy of the group!"

The Doctor turned to look at them. Micky, Davy and Mike looked at each other and looked back at Peter who had a smug look on his face.

"Is this true?" Rose said, walking up to Davy.

Davy swallowed hard.

"Um, we don't really mean it," he said, sheepishly.

"Yeah, it's just an affectionate nickname for him," Micky added, nervously.

"You wanna know something? I heard a lot of people referring to me as dim, growing up," Rose said. "People told me I would never amount to anything, and I believed them. Then, I started traveling with the Doctor, and I saw myself differently. I've been talking to Peter all the way from the TARDIS, and the man is not a dummy. He's intelligent, and sweet, and sensitive, and I don't appreciate hearing that you call him stupid. So, listen up, BOYS, while you are with us, you are not to call him a dummy in any way, shape, or form, or I'll personally kick your butts right back to the twentieth century. You got that?"

Peter snickered when the three Monkees nodded their heads quickly. Rose sighed and looked back at the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I just had to defend Peter back there, since he seems to be outnumbered. You can keep walking now."

She glared at the Monkees briefly before walking back to Peter. The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"If I were you, I'd really listen to her. Trust me, you don't want to be on her bad side," he said. "Well, come on, the coliseum is this way."

Micky, Mike, and Davy looked at each other. Trying to ignore Peter's giggles, they followed behind the Doctor, while he led the way to the venue.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

They finally found the registration booth. Sitting behind it was a stern Atlantean man who had long flowing white hair and beard to match his snow white pristine toga. To the Monkees the man resembled Father Time.

"Looking at him, you wouldn't think this man was much of a music lover beside classical music," Mike muttered to his band mates.

He noticed Micky staring at someone behind him and he turned to see an alien woman. She had blue skin the color of blueberries with yellow swirls all over it. She had long yellow hair that reached down almost to her buttocks and piercing yellow eyes. She was wearing a yellow two piece bikini.

"Hello there," she said to Micky when she noticed him staring at her.

"Hi, I'm Micky Dolenz."

She bowed her head and smiled.

"My name is Lalura. Are you signing up for the music festival?"

"Um, yeah, me and my band mates are," he said gesturing to them.

By now, everyone in the band was looking at her. They introduced themselves while the Doctor began registering them. He got so far and then turned and looked at them.

"Um, who's the leader of your band?" he asked them.

Everyone pointed to Mike who stepped forward.

"You have to fill the rest of this out," he said to Mike.

Mike nodded and took the quill pen from him. While he answered the rest of the questions the Doctor and Rose turned their attention to Lalura. The rest of the band had finished introducing themselves and they did the same. Lalura regarded him silently.

"Doctor, what an odd name. Our race, the Varox, has a legend about a man called the Doctor."

"Really?" the Doctor said intrigued, "what is the legend?"

"That there is a man who rides through time and space fighting monsters and righting wrongs. This man is the last of his kind, the survivor of the Time War, a valiant warrior who stands against the forces of evil and defends those who cannot defend themselves."

The Monkees glanced back at the Doctor who had a nonchalant air about him.

"Really? How fascinating. Unfortunately, I'm not that man. Doctor is a very common name on my planet," he said.

Lalura nodded.

"I'm not sure if this man exists or not. He and his race, the Time Lords, are only spoken about in legend as is the Time War. Does your planet have legends about the man?"

"Yeah but I'm the same way, I'm not really sure if the man exists or not," the Doctor said. "It seems too fantastical to be true. Especially the whole being able to regenerate and change his body."

"Oh yes, I agree. That part does sound unbelievable."

Mike came up beside the Doctor.

"Finished, guys. We are official registered and we go on at 7:30 on the second night."

"Brilliant," the Doctor said. "Good luck to all of you then."

The man called for the next applicant and they stepped aside to let Lalura through. They started to walk away when she called to them.

"Wait, can I come with you when I'm done? Perhaps we can get something to eat," she said.

They glanced at each other and nodded.

"I won't take long," she said.

They walked several feet away and waited.

"Doctor, what she was saying," Davy said, "is that stuff really true about you?"

He gave them a huge grin.

"Yes, but I let her think otherwise because I get tired of people thinking I'm some mythical god or a legend and wanting to worship me when all I want to do is just save planets and populations for evildoers and be on my way. The whole legend about me being the last of the Time Lords who saves everyone single-handed has been blown waaaay out of proportion by a number of races. I'm not a god. I'm just someone trying to make a difference in the universe but because I've saved so many planets and people I have this whole legend that rose up around me and follows me wherever I go now. Everything she said is true but I'm here to enjoy a music festival not fight monsters."

"You hope," Rose said.

"Shhh, don't jinx us, Tyler," he said to her.

The Monkees gave him odd looks.

"You're saying there's a chance a monster may show up?" Davy asked.

"Weeeell, one never knows but I'm hoping not," the Doctor replied.

"Which means it's highly likely," Rose said dryly.

The Doctor gave them a reassuring smile when he saw the worried looks on their faces.

"I seriously doubt if one turns up here. Don't worry about it," he said to them. "Like I said what evildoer is gonna turn up at a music festival.? We'll just enjoy the sights, listen to you play your set and then we'll go right back to 1967."

Lalura walked up beside them.

"Thanks," she said. "I came here by myself and I really didn't want to walk around all alone. You seem like nice people so I thought I'd join you."

"We're glad to have you," the Doctor said.

She looked at them.

"So…where are you guys from?"

"We're from Earth," Peter said.

"So am I," Rose added.

Lalura looked at the Doctor.

"I'm from Micromoton," he said.

"Oh, I've never been to Earth or Micromoton before."

"You oughta visit Earth, it's nice," Peter said.

She looked at Peter and gave him a shy smile.

"I'm sure it is although I've heard people speak of it as a primitive place. Still, primitive cultures do have their charm."

She smiled at Peter who blushed slightly.

"Well," the Doctor said. "Why don't we go look around and get something to eat?" he said to them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They explored the city looking at all the Romanesque structures, admiring their beauty. The four Monkees still couldn't get over the fact that they were now in the year 5057 and that they were walking around with a time traveling alien and a blue skinned alien girl. Micky, Davy and Mike noticed that Lalura kept close to Peter and they gave each other knowing looks.

They stopped and ate at a little restaurant and sampled some of the food which was delicious if a little bit spicy. They had some kind of strange meat that tasted like turkey and a salad that consisted of green and purple vegetables combined with leaves that resembled maple leafs. They drank a pale yellow drink that resembled urine but tasted like strawberries. While they ate the Monkees chatted with all their new friends.

Lalura was surprised to learn they didn't have any place to spend the night.

"Come with me. I'm staying at a hotel near here and I'm sure there are still plenty of vacancies," she said.

They agreed and after lunch Lalura led them to a large building that had a large porch on the front of it with large roman columns supporting an intricately carved roof. They stood there a moment admiring its beauty before stepping inside. To their relief there were still plenty of rooms available and the Doctor used his credit stick to pay for them. He had planned to use his TARDIS until Lalura suggested this and he decided that perhaps it was better if they slept in the heart of the city so they could take in its culture rather than remain isolated in his ship. The rooms were also next to Lalura's which delighted her. They headed up the stairs to the second floor and entered their rooms. Although the building was classical Roman in structure, the interior of the rooms were extremely modern with all the latest conveniences. The Monkees minds boggled when they looked at all the electronics and the bed that had buttons to adjust the width, height, temperature, firmness and one button that gave massages. There was a holographic projector that showed movies and chairs and table that were made out of some shiny alien material. The bathroom had a large tub that would put different kinds of foam into it for health and relaxation with a toilet and sink that also offered the foams for hand washing.

They stood in the bathroom and gazed at everything.

"It's a good thing the Doctor swore us to secrecy because no one in a million years would ever believe us," Micky said.

"I wouldn't breathe a word even if he didn't swear us to secrecy because someone would throw us directly in the funny farm," Mike added.

"And he does this all the time," Peter said. "He goes around time and space to all these wonderful places. I wish we could travel with him."

"Certainly beats listening to Mister Babbitt," Davy said. "But the whole thing about the monsters, I don't think I'd like that part."

"Yeah, fighting monsters doesn't sound like my bag," Micky added.

"I wouldn't mind," Peter said. "I'd gladly trade fighting monsters for the chance to see the universe."

"Not me, I like my feet planted firmly on planet Earth. This is nice but I'll be glad to get back home," Mike said.

Peter gave them a sad look. He didn't understand them. Here the Doctor could give them an opportunity to travel through time and space if he wanted to and his friends would rather stay on Earth and starve while they tried to scrape together enough money to pay the rent. The monsters were worth traveling in the TARDIS especially since Rose was traveling with him and she seemed to be in one piece after all of it. It astounded him sometimes just how pig headed they could be especially since he was supposed to be the stupid one.

He decided to go and find the Doctor and Rose and Lalura and see what they were up to. Excusing himself he walked past them and out into the hall. He found them inside their room and walked through the open door.

"Hello, Peter," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Rose and I were just discussing things we could do. After all, we don't wanna stay in this teeny tiny hotel room, not with a big city to explore."

"I agree," he said.

"Good, so if you could get everyone together we'll do a bit of exploring. I think they have capsule trains that'll take us past the city limits to the country and to the nearby cities so we don't have to be restricted to just this area."

Peter smiled, eager to go exploring.

"I'll go get the others then," he said.

"Great, we'll talk to Lalura while you do that and then we'll all go out together for a bit of sightseeing."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Come on, guys," Peter said to the other Monkees who were beginning to relax and unwind. "Trip into the country on Atlantis. It'll be fun."

"Actually, the tub with the relaxing foam sounds more fun to me," Micky said. "You go ahead, Pete."

"Yeah, I'm a bit tired and I wanna have a kip before the concert," Davy said.

"We'll go with you tonight and do something," Mike said. "We just wanna relax. I don't know about ya'll but I still need time to process everything that's happened so far."

"I hear that," Micky said. "Just go ahead and go with the Doctor and Rose and Lalura and we'll meet you back here."

Peter was disappointed but he knew arguing with them was pointless so he nodded and said goodbye to his band mates. The other three waved at him and he shut the door and walked over to the Doctor and Rose's room.

"They're not coming?" the Doctor said, surprised, when Peter finished explaining the situation to him.

"You gotta know something about my friends. We don't come across luxury very often so when they do, they take full advantage of it."

"And you?" the Doctor asked with a smile.

"I enjoy luxury but I can rest later. I want to see Atlantis," Peter replied.

The Doctor nodded and Peter sensed approval from his new friend which made him feel good. Most of the time he was viewed as the dummy of the group, the idiot who constantly got himself and his friends into trouble. There were times when he sensed that he was irritating the others and he often felt isolated and alone, even though he was sure the guys meant well and did care about him. For someone like the Doctor to offer the hand of friendship and bring him along on an adventure thrilled him and he hoped he wouldn't let him down.

The Doctor looked past him and Peter turned to see Lalura standing in the doorway. Their eyes met and her face lit up when she saw Peter. Then she looked around the room.

"The others are not coming?" she asked.

"No, they have decided to rest while we go explore."

Once again, Peter heard a note of irritation in the Doctor's voice and he couldn't blame him since he felt the same way.

"They gave us a complimentary snack box," the Doctor said to Peter as he pointed to a medium sized cardboard box with handles. "I figure we'll bring this along just in case the train doesn't have a dining car."

"I'll get it," Peter said, walking to it and picking it up.

The box was lighter than he though so he tucked it under one arm while Rose grabbed a small bag filled with other necessities they might need. The Doctor checked his watch.

"There's a shuttle that leaves here and goes to the train station," he said to everyone. "Another one leaves in fifteen minutes so let's head downstairs."

Everyone went outside and the Doctor waited until they were gone before he locked the door behind them. As they passed by The Monkees room on the way to the lift, Peter saw another disdainful look cross his friend's face when he glanced at the closed door and he sped up until he was beside the Doctor.

"They mean well, Doctor," Peter said to him as they walked.

"I realize that but there's plenty of time to rest. This is the equivalent of going to a foreign country and staying in your hotel room for most of the holiday while you do safe activities and eat food from home. I'm not trying to force them to do things they don't wanna do, they have the option to stay here, I just find it a bit odd that they're on the continent of Atlantis and they'd forgo the chance to explore for a posh room and a comfy bed. I'm very selective when it comes to choosing companions and I usually don't choose the ones who'd rather stay sheltered in a room instead of getting out and experiencing a planet and its culture. The universe is too big and too exciting to sit in your room, sleep and watch the telly."

"I agree," Peter said. "Unfortunately, like I said, my buddies like the creature comforts."

"Well, thank you for denying yourself the creature comforts for awhile so you can come and join us," the Doctor said.

Peter smiled and nodded, feeling like a million bucks when he saw the warm smile on the Doctor's face. With each passing moment, he liked the man more and more.

They reached the lift and Rose pressed the button. They were shocked when it opened and they saw a creature inside it. The man was large, onion shaped with pale white skin. He had black beady eyes, a thin mouth, tiny nose and brown hair that shot up from his head as if he'd been scared by something. The only thing he was wearing was a tiny loincloth that barely covered his private parts. He gave an annoyed look to the Doctor and the others when they just stood there.

"Well?" he said in a froggy voice, "are you going to get on the lift?"

The Doctor ushered everyone into the lift. The onion alien eyed them all disdainfully while they tried to stand on the other side of the lift from him.

"Humans," he muttered to himself.

"Better a human than an onion," Rose muttered to Peter.

Peter bit his lip trying to stifle his laughter. Then suddenly they smelled something foul, similar to a rotting piece of roadkill. Everyone immediately looked at Onion Man who suddenly appeared to be interested in his fingernails. Everyone was glad when the lift doors open and Onion Man got out on the second floor.

"God, is there a way we can fumigate in here?" Rose said when the lift doors closed and then headed down.

"Smells like Micky after several slices of garlic pizza," Peter said, holding his nose.

"I have respiratory bypass system, I can survive without breathing," the Doctor said smugly.

"Wanna let us in on the secret then?" Rose asked them.

When the lift doors opened on the ground floor, they couldn't get out of it fast enough.

"Oh thank God, fresh air!" Rose said as they headed across the lobby. "I never thought I'd love the scent of fart free air so much!"

The walked up to the front counter and the Doctor made inquiries about the shuttle bus. They were told to wait outside the entrance and the bus would come by in five minutes. All of the stepped outside and breathed in the warm fresh air. They kept out of the way while other humans and aliens walked past them into the building. It was exactly five minutes when the large white shuttle bus pulled up to the curb. They walked to it, opened the side doors and got inside. They noticed the driver looked like a humanoid goat with long horns that curved back away from his head. He turned his head and looked at them.

"Name's Jardon. I'm your driver for today. Where do you need to go?" he asked them.

"Train station," the Doctor said.

"You got it," he said, giving him a salute.

Peter noticed that instead of hooves, he had human like fingers that were covered with white fur like the rest of his body. He figured that was a good thing since driving with hooves would be tricky. A few more people climbed in after them and after the doors were shut, Jardon checked for oncoming traffic and pulled away from the curb.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Micky sat by the window in their hotel room and looked at the city skyline. He, Davy and Mike were relaxing but he soon became bored and restless.

"You know what? Pete's right, we should be out exploring the city," Micky said to Mike and Davy who were sprawled out on the beds. "The Doctor brought us here, we should at least have a look 'round and see the sights."

"Mike, you up for that?" Davy said, glancing at Mike.

"Perhaps later, I'm still enjoying a bed that isn't run down and old," Mike said.

"Come on, Davy. Just a quick walk around the hotel?" Micky implored.

"Yeah, I'll come with ya, mate," Davy said, sitting up.

"Have fun," Mike said, folding his hands on his chest.

Micky got up and walked to the door. He and Davy took one last look at Mike before they went outside.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Wow!" Micky said when they stepped outside. "Dig all the weird aliens!"

The sidewalks were filled with aliens of every size, color and description. Micky and Davy stood there for a moment taking them all in.

"I wish we could stay here, this is a groovy place to be," Micky said. "More interesting than California."

"Yeah," Davy murmured.

Micky glanced at him and saw the familiar lovesick look on his face. He followed his gaze and saw a young blonde woman standing across the street. Her long blonde hair had been braided and twisted into a tight bun. She had piercing blue eyes and was wearing a black catsuit with black leather boots. She was leaning against the building across the street while she gave Davy an amused look.

"Davy, she's way out of your league," Micky said. "In fact, I don't know anyone who would be in her league."

"She's beautiful," Davy said breathlessly before crossing the street.

Micky winced when Davy nearly got run over by a car as he crossed the street blindly staring at the woman. The driver of the car looked like a large version of Cousin Itt and it yelled at Davy to watch where he was going. Davy sprinted across the street and Micky sighed, looking both ways before following Davy.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Peter settled back in the plush white leather seat and looked out the window as the train left the outskirts of the city and headed into the countryside. The ride was so smooth that to him it felt like they were gliding on air. The interior was spotlessly clean, made out of white steel and the seats were four to a cubicle with two seats facing a small white steel table. On the other side of the table were the other two seats and behind the seats were white metal partitions for privacy. The Doctor, Rose and Lalura were sitting in the next cubicle but Peter decided to sit by himself for awhile while he still tried to adjust to being in the future.

He glanced over when Lalura came around the cubicle and smiled at her.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked.

"Sure," Peter said.

Lalura sat down in the seat across the table from him. She smiled and glanced out the window at the passing scenery.

"Beautiful, is it not?" she said to him. "Some say that New Atlantis has more beauty per square mile than the rest of Earth."

"I believe it," Peter said. "But what about your planet? Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is. Varox is lovely but it has been torn apart by war over the last few years."

"Oh, what a drag," Peter said. "There are wars where I come from."

"Yes. I know all about the Silfrux Affair and the war between Eurasia and Zealalia," Lalura said with a nod.

She noticed Peter's confusion.

"This isn't the war you mentioned?" she said. "It's being fought as we speak and has been going on for several years now."

"Oh! Yes, that war," Peter said. "Yes, that's the war I was thinking of."

Lalura narrowed her eyes. She could tell Peter was lying but he didn't seem like a dishonest person. Ever since she met the Doctor, she was wondering if he'd also been lying about being a Time Lord. If he was, it would explain many things including Peter's ignorance of one of the biggest wars ever waged on Planet Earth. She thought Peter handsome but perhaps his worth could go beyond that.

"Would you like some tea?" Lalura said. "I'll pay."

"That sounds great," Peter said, relieved Lalura was changing the subject.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," Lalura said before getting up.

Peter stood up until he could see over the partition. He watched her walk up the narrow aisle towards the dining car. He waited till she left the car before getting up and walking around the partition into the Doctor's cubicle. He and Rose stopped talking and the Doctor smiled warmly.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to the empty seats across from them. "Are you enjoying the train ride?"

"Yes, I am, very much," Peter said, sitting down. "But I have a question. What is the…um…"

Peter struggled to think of the name of the war but it escaped his memory. He decided instead to describe what Lalura mentioned about Eurasia and Zealalia. The Doctor's face brightened when he finally figured out what Peter was trying to say.

"Yes, the Silfrux Affair," the Doctor said.

"That's it. What is it?" Peter said.

"Well, at this point in history most of Europe and Asia have banded together and have become the Eurasian Union and Australia and New Zealand did the same and became Zealalia."

"Okay," Peter said, his mind boggling at that.

"Most countries at this point in history have formed alliances with the countries around them. North and South America are known as the American Alliance. Then there's the Micronesia Alliance, the Polar Pact which is an alliance between the settlements on the North and South Pole and so on. Silfrux was an alien ambassador from Eurasia that was sent to negotiate peace between them and Zealalia since the two alliances were on the brink of war. He went to New Sydney and was assassinated by a Free New Zealand anarchist who wanted the two alliances to go to war in the hopes that in the chaos, New Zealand could be convinced to split apart from Australia and become a separate entity again. His wish was granted and the two alliances are engaged in a bloody, violent war as we speak."

"What about the other alliances? They're not helping?" Peter said.

"Well, New Atlantis is officially neutral and I believe the other alliances are staying out of it for the moment until there's a clear winner."

"Lalura said there was war on her planet and I told her there was war here too but I was thinking of Vietnam and I goofed up and I know she thinks I'm lying," Peter said.

"Where is she now?" the Doctor said.

"She went to get some tea for us but I didn't have a clue what she was talking about and wanted to ask you in case she asks more questions."

"Sit with us and let her sit here. That way I can help if she says anything else about the present time," the Doctor said.

Peter nodded and thanked him, grateful that someone knew what was going on around here. He shifted to the seat nearest the aisle and leaned out to watch for Lalura. When he saw her coming up the aisle, he waved her over to the cubicle.

"Sorry, I moved," Peter said when she walked up with two cups of tea. "I wanted to ask the Doctor about something."

"No worries. We can sit here," Lalura said, handing him a cup of tea. "Do you want tea?" she asked the Doctor and Rose.

"I'm fine," the Doctor said.

"I'd like some," Rose said.

"I'll go and get you some and Doctor, let me get you a cup as well. It's on me," Lalura said.

The Doctor thought about it and then nodded. He thanked her and Lalura walked back up the aisle. Peter looked at the tea and noticed it was a lavender color. He showed it to the Doctor and the Doctor examined it.

"Lavender tea, I think," he said after sniffing it and handing it back. "It's delicious, trust me."

Peter took an experimental sip and licked his lips.

"Wow, this is outta sight," he said before taking another sip.

He shared some with Rose and she took a small sip.

"You're right. I'm glad I asked for some," she said, handing the cup back to Peter.

"So if you know what's going on now, do you know if there's anything happening outside the city?" Peter asked the Doctor.

"There are some ruins of the old Atlantis that I thought we could look at," the Doctor said. "It's at the next stop."

"Ruins from before it sank?" Rose said.

"Yup."

"Wow, those are some sturdy ruins," Rose said to Peter.

"I'll say. I woulda thought they'd be gone after all this time," Peter said.

"Nah. The ruins are made out of alien steel and it's designed to stand the test of time," the Doctor said. "If I'm right, there are a few intact buildings as well as ruins."

"So why didn't anyone use them?" Rose said.

"Because they wanted to preserve them as a cultural site and because it would have cost a heap of credits to get rid of the water damage and bring them up to modern standards. It was cheaper just to build new buildings."

Lalura showed up with two more cups of tea and handed them to the Doctor and Rose before sitting down beside Peter. Peter sipped his tea while he stared out the window. He nearly finished his tea before he realized he was getting sleepy. He put the cup down on the table and relaxed while his eyelids grew heavy.

"Wake me when we get to the next stop, guys," he said to the Doctor and Rose before he closed his eyes and drifted off.

"Jet lag?" Rose said to the Doctor, nodding her head at Peter.

"Or the soothing motion of the train lulled him to sleep," the Doctor said.

"I think it's the train because now I'm feeling a bit sleepy," Rose said, sitting the cup down on the table.

The Doctor frowned at that. He watched Rose's eyelids droop and suddenly he got a bad feeling about the situation while she drifted off to sleep. He looked at Lalura who had a passive look on her face while she finished off her tea.

"Odd that they suddenly grew sleepy, don't you think?" he said to her.

Lalura shrugged.

"I don't know the sleeping habits of Earthlings," she said.

"No. But they didn't grow sleepy until they drank the tea," the Doctor said.

"Tea makes them sleepy?" Lalura said with a shrug.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow when he noticed a tiny nervous shift in her seat. He picked up his cup and swirled it around, studying it for a moment before his eyes raised up and caught hers. He saw them shift away and he put his cup on the table.

"Who are you really?" he said to her.

"I might ask you the same question…Doctor," she said.

"I told you who I was, who are you?" he said.

Lalura stayed seated for a moment and then suddenly she leapt up and ran back towards the dining car. The Doctor let out a curse, jumped up and gave chase while Peter and Rose slept soundly in their seats.


End file.
